Deliciousness! So much effective deliciousness.

It has been about 2 months since I started my anti inflammatory diet.  Two very difficult months!  I have to admit, avoiding sugar (sugar!?) and wheat gluten takes an extrodinary amount of will power.  Will power which I do not possess.  That is why I regularly eat sugar and wheat gluten.  I probably eat something on the "no no" list (ice cream sandwiches, french toast, donuts) about twice a week.  I have to admit that the days following my "cheating" I feel pretty crappy.  Not from guilt.... I feel no shame!  I just feel tired, run-down, and in pain.  But hey, most of the time I don't cheat.  An occasional chips ahoy isn't going to kill me, but it sure doesn't improve my chances.  I ain't perfect though, just trying to do my best.

I was proud of this creation (below)!  It is basically vegetable soup/minestrone.  I made a broth using water leftover from wilting kale to saute it.  I added trimmings from kelp, onions, tomatoes, garlic and carrots to the broth while it simmered.  That night, I also dumped in the extra tomato juice I strained from my garden tomatoes while making pizza sauce (ended up with a gallon of sauce!! :) For tons more recipes/tips, check out my deliciousness pinterest page!

Tonight, I added a cup of gluten free macaroni, a can of kidney beans, a can of corn, and the leftover sauteed kale/onion/carroy/sweet potatoes I had made the night before.  Spices included turmeric, salt, and pepper.  You don't need anything else... the combination of all the vegetables makes it fabulous!

"PFM's minestrone-ish soup"  I could eat a gallon of this!

I am a thin person, and this diet is so healthy its hard not to lose weight.  I have to eat A LOT, and OFTEN! I usually pack in nuts and dried fruit between meals twice a day.  I got tired of all the jars/bags in my pantry and made "PFM's anti-inflammatory snack of awesomeness": 

Om nom nom nom

Walnuts, pistachios, almonds, soy nuts, peanuts, dried blueberries/cranberries/raisins/plums, and some banana chips.  

This is a delicious concoction my friend made this "Goddess Lentil sautee" for my for lunch during a playdate.  Yes, lunch and playdate (with 3 very young children running around screaming.)  While engaging in stimulating conversation at the same time.  She is a super-mama! (or shall I say... Goddess??) I don't have the recipe, but it included a goddess dressing.. I think hummus and avocado? with lentils, and tomatoes/cilantro/lemon garnish.  Yes, she added a garnish.  GODDESS!  It was fabulous and I still crave it. 

Goddess Lentil Sautee

Healthy "taco salad":
Fill a bowl with baby spinach

In a seperate bowl, mix mashed avocado with plain hummus

Spoon mixture on top of spinach, and top with plain greek yogurt

Top with corn or other gluten free chips (favorite is 'near east multigrain' chips, made with corn, quinoa and chickpeas)

My favorite hummus, hands down!

So yes, the diet is definitely working!  My pain and fatigue levels are dramatically down.  I am using 2 apps to track everything:  Docs Diet Diary, where you can track what/when you ate, and follow your symptoms, and "how are you feeling", which actually graphs how you've felt (scale 1-10).  I love 'how are you feeling!'.  It can apply to any mental or pain condition, and its simple, quick, and effective.   The diet tracker is useful, but I wish it also had graph/analysis functions.  I've discovered that 1) supplements don't seem to make much of a difference *except fish oil.), it really is 'what you eat', and 2) Sugar and Gluten really do affect your energy/inflammation levels.  Its not just hype!

The hookworms (HOOKWORMS?? you say? Read this next.) are around the 'teenager' stage right now, and since I only have 5, I can't attribute any of the postivie changes to them yet.  Once I have a larger, mature, dose, I will be able to analyze that data as well.  Keep coming back to track "Potomac Falls Mama's hookworm and anti-inflammatory saga" over the coming months ; ) Given the story so far, its bound to bring on new, hilarious adventures.

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